Been almost 2 months since my last post. Ironically, it was a post about feeling great...and hoping it stayed that way. It actually did for a few more weeks...best Spring racing season of my life, but the past 6 weeks have been hell. I just flat out burned out! 11-12 hour workdays, early morning runs, dieting....and do the whole thing again the next day. Weight was down....169.6 as of June 24th. This morning....180.5. Wow, disappointing and disgusting. I just wish I wouldn't go through these spells of self pity and loathing. This mornings run (a short 4 miler) felt really good and easy, but tomorrow it gets harder and then harder and then harder. I need to keep it rolling.

Feeling Good

The last time I update this blog, I wasn't running much and feeling down. Today, I sit here feeling fit and really good. Highs, lows.....the story of my running life. I need to buckle down and just pound out good runs. Hopefully this feeling will continue.

What do you want to be?

So I sit here typing this after taking 9 days off from running. My hamstrings are tight, my calves are sore, and I feel fat. I have eaten poorly, drank a lot, and have not slept well. Rock bottom! So, decision time. Do I want to run, live, and be my best or just average. Because, doing what I've done lately is less than my best. So, here it is....go time! Ship up or ship out. I am going to rededicate myself to healthy living beginning today! There I said it....I've typed it. Now, I need to do it!

Thought Provoking Run

Working 2^nd shift this week so it should be a good running week with morning runs. Today was just perfect weather….cool, cloudy, breezy. Ran a nice even, easy pace…all miles between 8:15 to 8:34. In the park I passed a car that had a young woman sleeping in it. It’s a quite spot away from most people so she probably goes unnoticed there. Made me wonder if she was homeless, skipping school, or just taking a little 9am nap. Couldn’t really tell her age, but just one of those things you see on a run that make you wonder. Read a good article this morning in Running Times about where running has come in 35 years. Makes for some good thinking. Enjoy your Monday!

10K PR

Race Recap: 3^rd year running this race….I guess I should since my company is the main sponsor. In 2008, my time was 49:59, last year was 45:39, and today 45:06. As long as I am continuing to get better, that’s the main thing to me. Today it was hot and humid….70’s with 95% humidity. I really thought I could run a 43:00, but after mile 1 my pace was 6:58 and I knew that keeping this pace in these conditions was going to be tough….especially since the hills at mile 3 were coming. Mile 2 was 6:46 but the hills were coming…mile 3 was 7:01 and mile 4 was brutal….8:02. I felt like I was crawling. The last 2 miles I regrouped….7:45, 7:21 with a sprint finish. I was looking at last year’s results and figured I needed a 43:00 to get an age group award. Well, apparently everyone was slower as I still got 3^rd place in my age group and a nice medal. Gotta love bling! They said it was the biggest turnout yet for this race so I feel good that I was able to AG at my company’s race. Oh, BTW….this is a 10K PR for me. It should be this is the only course I have ever run that is a 10K….as far as I know.

Track? Well, sort of

Goal for today was 8 miles on local track….soft surface for my legs so they are fresh for the 10K on Saturday. Arrived at the college track and saw a lot of kids walking around….oh no, track practice? So got on the track and ran a nice easy pace to warm up and then the kids started to hit the track and run hard the opposite direction…time to go. It’s their track, I’m just happy they let us use it for free so….I left after 1.5 miles and drove a few miles to a park to finish my miles. Great idea….was a lot more shade and temps were around 80 and humid so it felt good. Didn’t quite hit 8 miles, but didn’t matter…miles are good enough for today. Day off tomorrow….race Saturday!

Time to Sweat!

Wanted a 5am run…but I awoke to the sound of thunder and saw a flash of lightning. Thought about a treadmill run, but the forecast was calling for a nice afternoon so decided on an afternoon run. So…I get out of work and it is hot…I mean, really humid hot. Oh well, time to sweat. Put on shorts and a singlet and out I went…a nice easy pace….with a few bursts. Overall, a nice run still trying to break in these Adidas and break in my body to these warm temps. Two days ago I had frost on my jacket during my run…gotta love Spring.